The study looked at 618 metro areas, [in] 500 of which [parents] cited childcare as the single most expensive cost annually. D.C. ranked first as the most expensive metro area to raise a family.

In our fair city, parents with two kids must shell out $31,158 a year for childcare, while the national average for childcare costs for a family of four is about $12,500 a year. A single-parent mother who earns the median income for her demographic could spend nearly her entire yearly salary on childcare here.

HOMELESSNESS
– Montgomery County announced that they had succeeded at effectively ending veteran homelessness there at the end of 2015. A panel discusses how the goal was achieved and how other counties can implement similar efforts. (The Kojo Nnamdi Show, 1/7) – Audio

– Opinion: Despite recent strides in the gay rights movement, one writer urges the public to place more attention on youth LGBT homelessness. Forty percent of homeless youth served by agencies identify as LGBT, according to data. (HuffPo, 1/11)